Setting fixture leveling apparatus



May 7, 1968 R. K. LONDAL 3,331,538

SETTING FIXTURE LEVELING APPARATUS Filed March 14, 1966 2 Shee ts-Sheet1 INVENTOR.

w de //.Z07zaz? y 1968 v R. K. LONDAL 3,381,588

SETTING FIXTURE LEVELING APPARATUS United States Patent 3,381,588SETTING FIXTURE LEVELING APPARATUS Ralph K. Londal, Farmington, Mich,assignor to Automotive Pattern (10., Detroit, Mich., a corporation ofMichigan Filed Mar. 14, 1966, Ser. No. 534,082 2 illainis. (Cl. 91411)ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE In a leveling apparatus, a plurality ofcylindrical chambers, a piston rod reciprocally mounted in each of thechambers, a plurality of piston members mounted one on each of thepiston rods and adapted to reciprocate therewith within the chambers,each of the piston members having first and second face portions,conduit means comprising a plurality of fluid conduits communicating thefirst face portion of one of the piston members with the second faceportion of another of the piston members, one of the piston rodsprojecting axially outwardly from its associated chamber, an auxiliarychamber iounted coaxially of the associated chamber and having a controlpiston reciprocally disposed therewithin and connected to the projectingend of the one piston rod, a first actuatin fluid disposed in theplurality of cylindrical chambers and adapted to be seriallycommunicated through the fluid conduits, and a second actuating fluid inthe auxiliary chamber adapted to effect reciprocation of the controlpiston, whereby the control piston will move axially within theauxiliary chamber and effect movement of the one piston rod which willin turn bias its associated piston member and thus serially communicatethe first actuating fluid through the fluid conduits to cause thesimultaneous movement in the same direction of the other of the pistonmembers and piston rods.

This invention relates generally to foundry equipment and, moreparticularly, to a new and improved apparatus for transporting orconveying sand cores from a core loading fixture to a casting mold orflask preparatory to a casting operation.

In the manufacturing of a great many low tolerance cast metal, plasticand similar objects, it is of great importance, if not imperative, thatthe sand cores which are utilized be located as accurately as possiblewithin the casting molds or flasks. This is particularly true when it isdesired to obtain uniform size and shape of a plurality of objects beingcast at the same time. Great care therefore, must be taken in theassembly of the cores so that they are initially oriented in preciserelation and will remain in this relation as they are transferred fromthe core loading fixture and inserted into their respective positionswithin the casting mold. It is a primary object of the presentinvention, therefore, to provide a new and improved apparatus forconveying sand cores from a loading fixture to a casting mold whichassures that the sand cores will remain in a preselected fixedorientation with respect to each other.

It is a more particular object of the present invention to provide a newand improved apparatus of the above character which includes means forassuring that the setting fixture used to convey the sand cores remainssubstantially level as it is moved toward and away from the loadingfixture and casting mold.

It is yet a more particular object of the present invention to provide anew and improved apparatus of the above character which includes aplurality of legs reciprocally mounted on the setting fixture and.adapted to bear against the upper end of the loading fixture and castingmold, all of said legs being concomitantly movable relative to thesetting fixture for raising and lowering said fixture with respect tothe loading fixture or casting mold, thereby assuring that the settingfixture remains level as it picks up the sand cores from the loadingfixture and deposits them within the casting mold.

It is still another object of the present invention to provide a new andimproved apparatus of the above character which is adapted to beconstructed of readily available component parts.

It is a further object of the present invention to provide a new andimproved apparatus of the above character of a relatively simple design,which is easy to assemble and economical to commercially manufacture.

Other objects and advantages of the present invention will becomeapparent from the following detailed description taken in conjunctionwith the accompanying drawings, wherein:

FIGURE 1 is an elevated perspective view of an exemplary embodiment ofthe apparatus of the present invention shown in operative associationwith a conventional loading fixture and setting fixture;

FIGURE 2 is a top elevational view of the setting fixture assemblyillustrated in FIGURE 1 and shows a portion of the exemplary embodimentof the present invention mounted thereon;

FIGURE 3 is an enlarged elevated perspective view of the control sectionof the leveling apparatus of the present invention; and

FIGURE 4 is a schematic representation of the leveling apparatus of thepresent invention.

Referring now to the drawings, a setting fixture leveling apparatus 10,in accordance with an exemplary embodiment of the present invention, isshown in operative association with a setting fixture assembly 12 and aloading fixture assembly 14, the former of which, preparatory to acasting operation, is adapted to be conveyed between the assembly 14 andan associated drag mold (not shown) to transfer to the drag mold one ormore preformed sand cores 16 which, by way of example, are illustratedas the type used in casting V-type internal combustion engine blocks.The loading fixture assembly 14 comprises a suit able support structure18 upon which a flat or planar support plate 20 is mounted. The plate 20includes lug sections 22 for positioning a rectangular shaped housingsection 24 which is open on the upper side and is thereby adapted tosupport the sand cores 16.

The setting fixture assembly 12 comprises a generally rectangular shapedbody or housing 26 open on the lower end thereof for removably receivingthe sand cores 16 from the upper end of the assembly section 24, as willhereinafter be described. The assembly 12 is adapted to be conveyedbetween positions above the assembly 14 and above the aforesaid dragmold by means of an overhead or elevated conveying system, such as acrane or the like (not shown), which comprises a vertically extendingelevating cable 28 provided with a hook or similar attachment means 30on the lower end thereof. The setting fixture housing 26 is secured tothe cable 28 by having the attachment means 30 secured to a connectingring or the like 32 which is mounted on the upper side of a laterallyextending bar 34 that is spaced above and rigidly secured to the housing26 by means of a pair of rods or shafts 36 and 38 which extendvertically upwardly from the opposite sides of the housing 26.

Means in the form of a plurality of retaining fingers or the like,representatively illustrated in FIGURE 2 and generally designated by thenumeral 40, are disposed within the housing 26 for releasably engagingthe sand cores 16 when the setting fixture assembly 12 is oriented in apreselected manner with respect to the loading fixture assembly 14. Thefinger means 40 may be manually or automatically actuated in accordancewith well known practices in the art, whereby to positively grip thesand cores 16 as the same are lifted out of the loading fixture assembly14, and to positively release said cores when they are deposited withinthe associated drag mold.

As best seen in FIGURE 1, a pair of guide pins 42 and 44 are secured toand extend downwardly from the housing at the opposite ends thereof,which pins 42, 44 are adapted to be removably received within guideapertures 46 formed within a pair of blocks and 50 that are secured toand extend outwardly from the opposite ends of the loading fixturesection 24, whereby to orient the setting fixture assembly 12 relativeto the assembly 14 prior to the assembly 1?. picking up the sand cores16 from within the section 2 A suitable handle 51 is provided on one endof the housing 26 to facilitate manual positioning of the fixtureassembly 12 relative to the assembly 14 preparatory to the assembly 12being lowered toward the assembly 114. w

in accordance with the principles of the present invention, the levelingapparatus 16 is provided on the setting fixture assembly 1'2 to assurethat the housing 26 is maintained in a substantially level orientationwhen the same is lowered onto the top of the loading fixture assembly 14and onto the top of the associated drag mold, whereby the settingfixture 12 will be oriented in the same relation with respect to thedrag mold when it deposits the sand cores 1d therewithin, as it is withrespect to the loading fixure 14 when the cores to are removedtherefrom. Accordingly, the sand cores in will remain in the sameprecise relation they assume within the fixture id as they are conveyedto the drag mold and deposited therewithin preparatory to the castingoperation.

Referring now in detail to the leveling apparatus 19 of the presentinvention, as best seen in FIGURES 1 and 2, the apparatus iii comprisesa plurality of piston and cylinder assemblies 52a, 52b, 52c and 52d,located one at each of the four corners of the housing 26. Theassemblies 52a, 52b, 52c and 52d comprise hollow cylinders 54, 56, 53and 60, respectively, each of which is closed at the upper and lowerends thereof by means of a pair of generally rectangular shaped endheader members 62 and d4, respectively. The members 62, 6d of each ofthe assemblies 52 are rigidly secured on the opposite ends of theirassociated cylinders 54- through till by means of suitablelongitudinally extending connecting rods 66 (see FIGURE 3), which extendbetween and are fixedly secured to the members 62 and 64 by suitablenuts or the like 68, as best seen in FIGURE 2. The assemblies 52 arepreferably mounted within suitable recessed portions located at thecorners of the housing 25, but alternatively, may be secured to theexterior sides of the housing 26 when the size or internal mechanisms(the core retaining fingers 40, etc.) of the setting fixture assembly 12prevents mounting of the assemblies 52 within the housing 26. In eithercase, however, the assemblies 52 are located on the housing 26 in thesame transverse or horizontal plane and are arranged such that eachoverlies a portion of the upper edge 7 ii of the loading fixture section24 when the setting fixture assembly 12 is disposed in the position inwhich the sand cores 16 are picked up from the assembly 14. Also, theassemblies 52 are located on the housing 26 at a position such that theyoverlie a common horizontal surface or support structure (not shown)adjacent or upon the drag mold in which the sand cores 16 are depositedby the setting fixture assembly 12.

As best seen in FIGURE 4, the cylinders 56 and 58 are provided withtransversely extending partitions 72, 74 and 76, respectively, whichdivide the interior of these cylinders into upper and lower chambers orcompartments 78 and 89, respectively. Disposed within each of thechambers 84) is a suitable hydraulic piston 82 which is movable orreciprocal between the lower sides of the partitions '72, 74 and 76, andthe upper sides of the header members 6 closing the lower ends of thecylinders 54, 56 and 53, in response to the changes in the fluid orhydraulic pressure within the chambers 80, as will later be .4described. An identical type piston 34 is reciprocally mounted withinthe cylinder 68 and is adapted to cooperate with the pistons 82 duringoperation of the apparatus it in a manner later to be described.

The piston and cylinder assemblies 52a, 52b, 52c and 52d include pistonrods 86, 8%, dt? and 92, respectively, which extend coaxiaily throughthe cylinders 54, S5, 58 and 6t and are fixedly secured to therespective pistons 32 and 84, so that reciprocation of the pistons 82and 4 will efiect reciprocal movement of the piston rods 86 through 2 inthe conventional manner. The upper ends of the piston rods 86, 8t; and9t? extend upwardly through fluid-tight openings in the partitions '72,74 and 76 and through suitable openings in header members 62 of thecylinders 54, 56 and 53. A plurality of helical coil springs 94 may bedisposed one in each of chambers 78 coaxially of the upper ends of thepiston rods S6, 38 and 96 to help offset the weight of the assembly 12and thereby reduce the effort required to elevate the assembly 12 off ofthe assembly 1 and drag mold, as will later be described. The lower endsof the springs 94 bear upon suitable radially outwardly extending snaprings or the like 96 secured to the piston rods 36, and 90 directlyabove the partitions 72, '74 and 7d, while the upper ends of the springs94 bear against the lower sides of the upper header members 62 closingthe upper ends of the cylinders 54, 5e and 58. With this arrangement,the piston rods 8%, $3 and 9d are normally urged downwardly relative tothe cylinders 5 56 and 58 such that when the piston rods 86, 88 and 94move upwardly relative to their respective cylinders, they must do soagainst resistance of the coil springs 94.

The lower ends of the piston rods 86, 88, @ti and 92 extend downwardlyfrom the cylinders 54 through as and are adapted to act as leveling legsin controlling the attitude or orientation of the setting fixtureassembly 12 relative to the loading fixture assembly 114, as will laterbe described in connection with the operation of the apparatus 16 of thepresent invention. The lower ends of the piston rods 85 through 92 areadapted to bear upon the upper edge 7% of the loading fixture section24- to assure that the setting fixture assembly 12; is substantiallylevel prior to and during the time the sand cores 16 are picked out ofthe assembly 14. Accordingly, the lower ends of the piston rods 36through 92 are provided with enlarged diameter end caps or feet 98 (seeFIG URE 1), which are adapted to provide a positive and firm support forthe setting fixture assembly 12 as it is lowered upon the loadingfixture assembly 14.

Referring now to the schematic representation of the apparatus 10 of thepresent invention shown in FlGURE 4, it will be seen that the piston andcylinder assemblies 52a, 52b, 52c and 52d are serially connected bymeans of a plurality of hydraulic conduit means. More particularly, theportion of the cylinder 60 interjacent the lower side of the piston 84and the lower header member 64 is connected by a suitable conduit ltitiwith the portion of the cylinder 58 interjacent the partition 76 and theupper side of the piston 82. In a similar manner, the portion of thecylinder 58 interjacent the lower side of the piston 82 and the lowerheader member 64 is connected by a conduit 102 with the portion of thecylinder 56 interjacent the upper side of the piston $2 and the lowerside of the partition 74. Likewise, the portion of the cylinder 5einterjacent the lower side of a piston 82 and the upper side of theassociated header member 64 is connected by a conduit 1% with theportion of the cylinder 54 interjacent the partition 72. and the upperside of the associated piston 82. The portion of the compartment in thecylinder 54 interjacent the lower side of the piston 82 and the upperside of the header member 64 is connected by means of a suitable conduit1% with the portion of the cylinder 60 interjacent the top of the piston54 and the lower side of the header member 62. The conduits 100, 1:92,194, and 106 are connected 'by suitable conduits 108,

110, 112, 114 and 116 with a fluid reservoir, representativelyillustrated in FIGURE 4 and designated by the numeral 118. Suitablevalve means, generally designated 126, are disposed in the conduits 108,110, 112 and 114 and adapted to be selectively opened to facilitatepurging the hydraulic circuit.

As best seen in FIGURES 3 and 4, mounted on the top of the piston andcylinder assembly 52d is a control assembly, generally designated 122.The assembly 122 is essentially a piston and cylinder assembly andcomprises a cylinder 124 which is closed on the upper and lower endsthereof by suitable header members 126 and 128, respectively. The headermembers 126 and 123 are rigidly secured to the cylinder 124 by suitableconnecting rods 130 that extend between and are rigidly secured to theheader members 126 and 128 by means of suitable nuts or the like 132(see FIGURE 3). The lower header member 128 is secured to the top of anupper header member 62 of the assembly 52d in a manner such that thecylinder 124 is coaxially aligned With the cylinder 60. The upper end ofthe piston rod 92 extends upwardly through the header members 62 and 128into the interior of the cylinder 124 and is rigidly connected to apiston 134 which is disposed within the cylinder 124 and adapted toreciprocate simultaneously with the piston rod 92 and piston 84. Moreparticularly, the piston 134 is adapted to move upwardly and downwardlywithin the cylinder 124- in response to variations in pneumatic pressurewithin the cylinder 124, and thereby bias the piston rod 92 and piston84 upwardly and downwardly within the cylinder 60. A mounting plate 136is secured to one side of the assembly 122 by suitable screws, bolts orthe like 138 and is adapted to support a combination control handle andvalve device, generally designated by the numeral 140. The device 140comprises an inlet section 142 which is communicable with a source ofpressurized air, as is commonly available in foundries and the like, bymeans of a suitable inlet conduit 144. A control handle 146 is movablymounted on the top of the device 140 and is adapted to control the fiowof air between either of two outlet conduits 148 or 150 which arecommunicable with the air inlet section 142 and the portions of thecylinder 124 located above and below the piston 134. With thisarrangement, when the handle 146 is disposed in a preselected position,pressurized air is communicated into the device 140 and thereaftertransmitted to the top of the cylinder 124 through the conduit 148,whereby the piston 134, piston rod 92 and piston 84 will move downwardlywithin the respective cylinders 124 and 60. Conversely, when the handle146 is disposed in another preselected position, pressurized air will becommunicated from the section 142 into the lower end of the cylinder 124through the conduit 150, whereby the piston 134 will move upwardlywithin the cylinder 124, thereby biasing the piston rod 22 and piston 84upwardly within the cylinder 60.

To facilitate correlating the various hereinabove described componentparts of the leveling apparatus 11 of the present invention, a briefexemplary operational cycle thereof will now be described in detail,with particular reference being made to the schematic diagramillustrated in FIGURE 4.

Assuming that the inlet conduit 144 is connected to a source ofpressurized air, at such time as it is desired to convey the sand cores16 from the loading fixture assembly 14 to a predetermined location, forexample, to the drag mold or the like, the setting fixture assembly 12is moved by means of the aforementioned conveying means to a positiondirectly above the loading fixture assembly 14. The assembly 12 is thenlowered onto the upper edge 70 of the assembly section 24, with theguide pins 42 and 44 inserted within the apertures 46 formed in theblocks 48 and 50 that are secured to the opposite ends of the section24. Assuming that the retaining fingers 40 are disposed in a positionwhere they will not engage the sand cores 16 as the setting fixtureassembly 12 is lowered further with respect to the assembly 14, thecontrol handle 146 is biased to the position permitting pressurized airto flow through the conduit 150 and into the lower end of the cylinder124, whereby the piston 134, piston rod 92 and piston 84 will moveupwardly within the respective cylinders 124 and 60. As the piston 84thus moves within the cylinder 60, the hydraulic fluid interjacent theupper side of the piston 84 and the upper header member 62 is forcedthrough the conduit 106 into the portion of the cylinder 54 inteijacentthe lower side of the piston 82 and the lower header member 64, resulting in the piston 82 and piston rod 66 moving upwardly with respect tothe cylinder 54. As will be apparent, the hydraulic fluid interjacentthe upper side of the piston 82 and the partition 72 is forced throughthe conduit 164 into the portion of the cylinder 56 interjacent thelower side of the piston member 82 and the associated lower headermember 64, thereby causing the piston member 82 and the piston rodmember 88 to move upwardly with respect to the cylinder 56. Similarly,the fluid within the cylinder 56 is forced through the conduit 162 intothe portion of the cylinder 53 directly below the piston 82, therebycausing the member 82 and the piston rod 96 to move upwardly withrespect to the cylinder 58. By virtue of the fact that the hydrauliccircuit is closed, all of the piston rod members 86, 88, 9t? and 92 willmove upwardly concomitantly to the positions indicated by the phantomlines in FIGURE 1, and thereby lower the assembly 12 toward the upperedge 70 of the assembly section 24 while maintaining the assembly 12 ina substantially level attitude with respect to the loading fixture 14.

After the assembly 12 has been thus lowered, the retaining fingers 411may be actuated to engage the sand cores 16 disposed within the loadingfixture assembly 14, and the assembly 12 is raised off the top of theassembly 14 by biasing the control handle 146 to the positioncommunicating pressurized air through the conduit 148 and into the upperend of the cylinder 124, thereby biasing the piston member 134, pistonrod 92 and piston member 84 downwardly with respect to the cylinders 124and 66'. As the piston member 84 thus moves, the hydraulic fluid in thecylinder 61? inteijacent the lower side of the piston member 84 and thelower header member 64 is forced through the conduit 1% into thecylinder 58 above the piston member 82, thereby biasing the member 82and piston rod downwardly with respect to the cylinder 58. The hydraulicfluid within the lower end of the cylinder 58 is then serially forcedthrough the conduit 102, and the hydraulic fluid within the lower end ofthe cylinder 5-6 is serially forced through the conduit 104 to bias thepiston rod members 38 and 86 downwardly with respect to the cylinders 56and 58, as will be apparent. Accordingly, all of the piston rod members86, 88, 2t; and 12 are simultaneously moved downwardly with respect tothe setting fixture assembly 12, thereby causing the assembly 12 to beelevated in a level orientation so that the sand cores 16 are maintainedin their respective preselected positions. At this time, the conveyingmeans may be properly energized to further elevate the fixture assembly12 with the sand cores 16 releasably secured thereto and convey the sameto a position located above the drag mold into which the sand cores 16are to be placed.

The entire assembly 12 is then lowered onto the top of the drag molduntil the end caps 98 rest upon the support structure adjacent the mold,at which time the control handle 146 is biased to the positionpermitting pressurized air to flow into the lower end of the cylinder124, resulting in the piston rod members 86, 8%, 90', 92 simultaneouslymoving upwardly to effect lowering of the assembly 12 with respect tothe drag mold. It will be seen that as the assembly 12 is lowered, itwill main tain the same level attitude it assumed during the time thesand cores 16 were being picked up from the loading fixture assembly 14.Accordingly, the sand cores 16 will remain in the same precise relationwith respect to each other and with respect to the assembly section 24as they are conveyed to the drag mold and inserted therewithinpreparatory to the casting operation. After the assembly 12 has beenlowered by the leveling apparatus 10, the retaining fingers 40 may beactuated to release the sand cores 16 within the drag mold. The controlhandle 14% may then be biased to the above described position where thepiston rod members 86, 88, 90 and 92 move downwardly with respect to theassembly 12, thereby elevating the assembly 12 off the assembly 14 toprevent the retaining fingers 40 or any other structural portions of theassembly 12 from engaging the sand cores 16 as the assembly 12 is movedaway from the mold. The conveying means may then be employed totransport the setting fixture assembly 12 back to a position overlyingthe same or another loading fixture assembly 14 to pick up another setof the sand cores 16 to initiate the next operational cycle of theassembly 12 and the leveling apparatus of the present invention.

While it will be apparent that the exemplary embodiment hereinillustrated is well calculated to fulfill the objects stated, it will beappreciated that the leveling apparatus 10 of the present invention issusceptible to modification, variation and change without departing fromthe proper scope or fair meaning of the subjoined claims.

What is claimed is:

1. In a leveling apparatus,

a plurality of cylindrical chambers,

a piston rod reciprocally mounted in each of said chambers,

a plurality of piston members mounted one on each of said piston rodsand adapted to reciprocate therewith within said chambers,

each of said piston members having first and second face portions,

conduit means comprising a plurality of fluid conduits communicating thefirst face portion of one of said piston members with the second faceportion of another of said piston members,

one of said piston rods projecting axially outwardly from its associatedchamber,

an auxiliary chamber mounted coaxially of the said associated chamberand having a control piston reciprocally disposed therewithin andconnected to the projecting end of said one piston rod,

a first actuating fluid disposed in said plurality of cylindricalchambers and adapted to be serially communicated through said fluidconduits, and

a second actuating fluid in said auxiliary chamber adapted to etlectreciprocation of said control piston, whereby said control piston willmove axially within said auxiliary chamber and effect movement of saidone piston rod which will in turn bias its associated piston member andthus serially communicate said first actuating fluid through said fluidconduits to cause the simultaneous movement in the same direction of theother of said piston members and piston rods.

2. The invention as set forth in claim 1 which comprises a fixedlymounted loading fixture and a transportable setting fixture, whereinsaid plurality of cylindrical chambers are fixedly secured to saidsetting fixture, and wherein said piston rods project downwardly fromsaid setting fixture and are adapted to bear against the upper side ofsaid loading fixture, whereupon simultaneous movement of said pistonmembers will effect level movement of said setting fixture toward oraway from said loading fixture.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 94,426 11/1909 Loudon 92--13()2,112,466 3/1938 Maloon 52 2,536,881 1/1951 -Lytle 60 -52 FOREIGNPATENTS 54,312 3/ 1948 France.

58,505 9/ 1953 France.

EDGAR W. GEOGHEGAN, Primary Examiner.

